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Company Brand – Web Site
So many entrepreneurs, particularly the more technical ones, overlook the benefits of branding their companies. Likely this delay is due to pressing issues of getting new business in the door and keep up with payroll. Thus, many months – even years – go by before management recognizes that they may benefit from establishing a company brand.
So just what is a brand?
Before I define what a brand is, let’s talk about what it is not. It is not just your business cards, letterhead and logo, though they are part of the overall identification. Your brand is your company’s DNA. It’s a clear message that connects with your customers (and prospects) and motivates them to want to work with you based on established trust and distinguishes you from your competition. That’s about as simple as I can put it in the definition form. But a brand also represents the tempo of your company. An example of tempo, I mean the difference between a cutting edge technology company or a stable wealth management firm. Both need to prove they are progressive but one needs to show they move according to the direction of world technology. The other wants customers to believe they are methodical and unwavering in their approach with money.
Why is a brand important?
A good brand will deepen trust and loyalty with customers. If you are among the greats in marketing, you will be memorable too. For instance, Dos Equis beer created the ‘Interesting Man in the World’ character. This fictional character is targeted to the more sophisticated beer drinker and takes a regal approach with humor distinguishing them from other beer products.
Why is a brand important to your company?
There is no doubt that many companies do well without a brand in place – for a while. But it is my firm belief that a company that is ready to go to the next level of business will do better with a good message. The significance of consistent look, feel and overall personality of the company will help establish a visual for your customers and provide a uniform meaning for your team. Don’t forget that your brand will also extend to your Web site. The Web site is possibly the most visible tool you will have so be sure that the site is aligned with everything else you offer.
Coming In For A Landing (Page)
Simply put, a landing page is any web page you find when searching for a particular subject matter in a search engine (i.e. Google or Yahoo!). A good landing page can be a specially designed page that looks different from the company’s Web site but maintains the brand integrity.
A little something-something about search engine optimization
Often companies create landing pages to drive targeted traffic to a specific service or product. One commonly used form of advertising is pay-per-click – paid advertising that will show up at the very top or on the right side of a searched page result. Every time someone clicks on the ad, the advertising company pays an agreed upon fee. There are many controls that can be put in place to stay within budgetary constraints. However, the ad must be valued a certain way (by the search engine) in order to get the best place, but that’s another blog post.
Other ways landing pages show up is through organic results. Often organically positioned landing pages (or Web sites) provide greater credibility. Optimal organic placement is when a web page is positioned on the first page in the top spots (i.e. spot 1, 2 or 3) of a particular search phrase.
Bottom-line benefits
One of the greatest benefits of landing pages for the consumer is they do not have to sort through an entire Web site to find what they are looking for. Plus they have an opportunity to make immediate contact via phone or usually through a contact form.
For the company, a landing page proves beneficial through higher conversion rates. The trick is not to inundate with too much information or images but rather keep the page short and to the point while still getting your message across. Depending on the budget and time allotted for the campaign will affect just how you develop your strategy. There is no simple answer. The strategy is shaped by considerations such as the product, competition, market demands and location of target.
Web Site Design – More Than A Luxury
The other day a friend told me she had been referred to a doctor and decided to vet him online. She was very surprised to find that the doctor didn’t have a Web site but came up on other listings that just gave the address and phone number. This experience left a negative impression. Based on the absence of an online presence, she questioned if the doctor kept up with the latest medical breakthroughs or if he used the most advanced technology to treat patients.
Often businesses overlook the value of a Web site seeing it as more of a ‘nice to have’ item than a true business tool that may make a positive impact and offer important information that people are seeking. The truth is that every consumer wants to associate with the very best business they can afford.
Think of it this way, when patients/clients enter your practice/office, they are forming an impression about your services and values based on their experience starting at the receptionist’s desk. The same concept applies to a Web site. One way people validate credibility is the brand quality of a Web site design. And if one is non-existent, then it sends a message that a business may not be technologically adept in other areas that are important.
Conversely, a business that offers the latest information about their industry or services – even giving away some key intellectual knowledge – can score major consumer points and position themselves as experts in their field. Some business professionals worry that if they tell what they know, then no one will hire them to do the work. This may be true to some extent but just because you share some trade knowledge does not mean your potential customers have time to implement and execute strategies or the inclination to do so. The Web site design goal is to offer enough to attract and establish credibility.
Don’t Rule Out Old-Style Advertisements
Every Sunday, since I was a child, my dear mother has read the Dallas News throughout the day. She not only reads the articles but also cuts coupons and peruses for all the sales and events. So does the leisurely reading habit of one woman prove that newspapers are still alive and thriving? Yes, actually.
According to Wikipedia, newspaper has been around since the early 17th century. Up until the electronic media, newspaper was one of the foremost ways to advertise your business. I have been in marketing for a number of years and have seen the changes in advertising. My firm belief is that all forms of advertising have some purpose but they aren’t necessarily for every business. I have heard many say that the newspaper is a dying media. But this is not true.
In fact, just this week I had a client run a full-page newspaper advertisement in the Dallas News. No Web site was listed, just a phone number to measure the results. The first day she received over 150 calls. We estimate that approximately half of those calls went to her Web site to check her out. But obviously half went straight to the phone and called. Was this a one-time anomaly? Not a chance. Prior to that she ran another ad that generated enough appointments for three weeks!
Point of this post? Obviously, advertising in the newspaper is not for everyone – particularly those of us that prefer to do our reading online. However, just because you are not attracted to a particular type of medium, doesn’t mean others share your opinion. Different strokes…
How Does Your Web Site Bounce?
Measuring your Web site’s performance requires a keen eye for understanding how the metrics convert into real effectiveness. An area I want to cover is the bounce rate. Essentially, the bounce rate is the percentage of people that only viewed one page of your Web site before leaving. The page they end up on is also referred to as the landing page. (HINT: Your goal is to get people to find value on your Web site by clicking around and reading more than just the first page they come to.)
What is a bounce rate and why is it important?
A high bounce rate is surprisingly more than 70%. If your bounce rate is above that percentage, then you really should consider restructuring your site to give your viewers more valuable information. In some cases, your Web site may need a facelift. After all, your Web site is your online real estate. If it doesn’t look nice or if people cannot find what they want quickly, they will go elsewhere. Examples of delivering a valuable experience are: blog content that is interesting and engaging, headlines/titles that are captivating and links that complement your content.
How you can find your bounce rate.
My personal favorite way to measure Web site metrics is using Google analytics. It’s a free and robust program that will measure your Web site traffic and provide you with more than just the bounce rate. It also provides the number of new viewers, page views, average time users are spending on your site and much more.
Is your bounce rate within the 40-70% range or higher? If so, what methods to you plan to incorporate to reduce the people leaving your site prematurely?
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